"dahyun, come here for a spell," my mother called for my attention as i sat at a small open chest filled with small wooden toys and bells and ribbons i had been gifted. It had been four years since you were born and to you, your life had just started as a memory finally started allowing me to retain information and people's faces.
my mother stood at the door to my room in her dress of a distasteful shade of brown that laced around her stomach to shrink her waist and strapped over her shoulders. The dress trapped the off shoulder white blouse she wore over her torso as her hair was braided along the back of her head, pinned up and out of the way.
i looked back over my small shoulder still dressed in your pale yellow nightgown that reached my ankles with sleeves that covered my entire hand to the fingertips when i stood. Hair unkempt and un-brushed from sleep, as i had woken up and immediately took to my toy chest to occupy my precious time until i was fetched by my single parent.
Standing, i abandoned my trinkets as i rushed to my mother's side. Grabbing her skirt in my tiny fists and pushing my face into the fabric of her dress, giggling at the warm embrace she gave me. Her hands pushed on my shoulders and back as she leaned to greet me a good morning.
"Good morning, my dearest little girl," my mother cooed as i lifted my face from her skirt and smiled up at her. i was always a shy child, but she hoped now that you were more aware of the surroundings, i would grow out of my shyness. She gently pushed me away just enough so she could kneel on the floor in front of me, brushing my messy hair out of my face with her fingers. "We have to get you dressed. Today is a very big day," she told .
"What does that mean, mommy?" i asked, my small voice pitched and as sweet as song bells to my mother's ears. How she loved the sound of my voice.
"It means, dearest, that you're going to meet someone who will become your friend today." The woman watched my puffy child-fat-cheeks, extend in a pout as i frowned. "Now," she started, softly but sternly, "do not pout like that. It would make me very happy if i would play with another child."
"Well," my small voice started as my pout lessened, "if mommy wants me to, I can try." i mother smiled as she gently kissed my forehead. i was only four, but i was very kind and gentle, and smarter than i thought.
"That's my girl," she encouraged as she backed me up into my room to ready for the day. Placing me in a dress the color of daffodils that reached just past my knee and the long sleeves open at the shoulders, my mother messed with my head.
i admired my dress in the standing mirror in my room. Ruffles of soft yellow running around the skirt and the white fabric on my chest dotted with small flowers. Hair now brushed and pinned only partially back with a flower clip, my mother was soon sliding flat, black shoes over my feet. "You look beautiful, dearest," she cooed as she kissed my cheeks.
"Mommy's way more pretty than me!" i cheered as she stood and smiled , i took her hand letting her lead us out of the room.
i had lived in the castle my entire life, but only recently did i start remembering the layout of the massive royal home. i often remembered going to the shrine more often than not, feeling so peaceful and calm inside the shrine's walls. The fountain inside with a statue of a man and a snake always seemed warm to you.
my mother walked slowly at my side as i clung to her hand the entire journey from the room, down the halls, past servants and guards alike until she came to stand at a grand, red doorway. i gripped her hand tighter, nerves bubbling in my small stomach.
She offered two easy knocks that reverberated through the halls, bouncing off the walls in echoes that seemed so loud i wanted to cover my ears.
"Majesty, it is Lily of the Shrine Courts. I have brought my daughter as you have asked," she announced to the closed door. i thought her crazy until a voice echoed from behind the doors offering her entrance into the room beyond the red entrance. She looked down at me before smiling. "Do not worry, I will be with you the whole time," she assured as i nodded, unaware of who was going to be inside.
She pushed the door open with loud, aching creaks as i followed her in. my young eyes were wide as i looked around the room i had entered with my mother. Large, wide and open with a single red carpet with gold trim lining the floor from the door to a set of 5 steps with thrones sitting atop them. There were three, dark wooden thrones in my line of sight.
